In a time when medical knowledge seems to grow exponentially, suspicion of ancient medical practices seems to grow at nearly the same pace. If an ancient medical practice has religious meaning, then skepticism skyrockets. Many consider male circumcision an obsolete, if not barbaric, practice. Yet, its medical efficacy remains an empirical question, regardless of people’s gut reactions. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated their position on circumcision, concluding that it reduces the risk of urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and penile cancer.

Last Tuesday, June 26th, a German court in Cologne ruled that circumcisions could not be performed in its jurisdiction on children before they turn of age to consent to the operation. The ruling, which came in response to a four-year-old Muslim boy who experienced post-circumcision bleeding, inspired Jewish and Muslim groups across Germany to condemn the court’s decision, decrying what they see as unprecedented disregard for religious liberty. While both sides in this heated debate have respectable arguments, the scientific study of religion offers some perspectives that have led me to believe the court’s opinion was misguided. Specifically, body modification as a signal of group identity is a pervasive feature of religious cultures worldwide, and such signals can be vitally necessary for groups to survive, and thrive, in a hostile world.

Human life depends absolutely on cooperation. Unlike other animals, we don’t have big fangs, sharp claws, or leather-thick hides. Instead, we have our ability to work efficiently with each other. In modern industrial civilization, we take this flair for cooperation to the next level, depending each day on thousands of strangers to bring food to our cities, keep the roads clean, and mine coal to power our homes. And it just might be religion that makes this all possible.